As someone who knew the plot well, Zuo Zhu kept her eyes lowered and her mind steady, pretending she had heard nothing at all.
In truth, Huo Fu had misunderstood her in thinking she was not curious about him. The storyline of this comic had been drawn by her. Although she had forgotten many of the finer details, she still remembered the general outline.
Naturally, she felt no particular curiosity.
Huo Fu only let out that soft laugh and said nothing further.
“Take me to the other places,” he said, turning to Second Uncle Li.
Distrust flickered in the man’s eyes, but he nodded reluctantly.
There were only three locations in the Li household where the so-called hauntings occurred. One was President Li’s room, where he suffered from festering sores that no doctor could cure. Another was the residence of Third Uncle Li’s widow, who hung a rope from the beam every midnight in an attempt to hang herself and had to be watched every night. The last was Second Uncle Li’s own wife, who had recently grown irritable and hot-tempered, often sleepwalking, and on one occasion had even tried to strangle her husband in his sleep.
Second Uncle Li intended to take them first to Third Uncle Li’s widow, but halfway there, they ran into two people who should not have been in the villa at all.
“Why are you still here?” Second Uncle Li demanded, suppressing his anger in front of outsiders.
Lin Yuran’s face turned pale, and she dared not respond.
The young man beside her, however, protested angrily, “I’m also President Li’s son. Why should we leave?”
Zuo Zhu and the others understood immediately. The two before them were clearly President Li’s mistress and illegitimate son.
Second Uncle Li sneered. “My elder brother is bedridden now. I’m handling all family affairs. If I say you’re to be thrown out, then you will leave.”
Li Qing flushed red with anger. “My father isn’t dead yet! You’re already so eager to replace him and drive my mother and me out. Maybe the reason he’s bedridden now is because of you!”
“Enough!” Second Uncle Li was breathing hard with rage. Forcing down his temper, he signaled the butler to handle them and move them aside.
This was not the moment to air family scandals before outsiders.
“Just a minor interruption. Please follow me.”
The Li estate covered a vast area, with several buildings arranged around the grounds. With multiple households living there, it was impossible for everyone to crowd into a single structure.
He led them to the last villa at the rear. “I’ll have someone inform my sister-in-law first.”
He called for a maid to notify Third Uncle Li’s widow, Zhao Yunling, that a master had arrived.
As for Zhao Yunling, she had once been the very model the original host had admired before Zuo Zhu transmigrated.
When the Li family first became wealthy, Third Uncle Li was the youngest son and still unmarried, unlike his two elder brothers. Young, rich, and single, he had married the campus belle of A City’s top university. At the time, Zhao Yunling had been the classic example of a commoner marrying into wealth.
Unfortunately, Third Uncle Li died young. Barely two years after the wedding, he passed away, leaving Zhao Yunling alone in the Li household.
The maid quickly delivered the message, and Zhao Yunling permitted them to enter.
Huo Fu merely walked around symbolically, taking in the villa, especially Zhao Yunling’s bedroom.
As they were about to leave, Zhao Yunling finally appeared. Leaning against the doorway, she fixed her tender, alluring eyes on Huo Fu.
“Has this master discovered anything?”
Her charm was natural and effortless. Compared to her, the original host’s attempts to seduce Li Fang had been laughable.
Zuo Zhu suddenly understood why the original host had failed to win Li Fang over. With such an exquisite young aunt-in-law at home, who would spare a glance for the original host?
Faced with Zhao Yunling’s suggestive gaze, Huo Fu remained unmoved. He even pulled Zuo Zhu forward, positioning her in front of him to block Zhao Yunling’s line of sight.
Zuo Zhu was speechless. What a killjoy.
Only after she fully shielded him did Huo Fu seem satisfied. “Let’s see the last place.”
Second Uncle Li, having watched him inspect without offering any explanation, was already losing patience. “After observing for so long, has the master found anything unusual?”
Huo Fu turned and met his gaze. The calmness in his eyes was like a whirlpool, sending chills down one’s spine if stared at too long.
Second Uncle Li shuddered involuntarily and suppressed his unease. “Then let’s proceed to the final place.”
Huo Fu stepped toward the door.
At that moment, Zhao Yunling, still leaning by the doorway, lightly hooked a finger at the hem of his clothing.
Zuo Zhu instantly perked up, staring sharply at Zhao Yunling’s flirtatious gesture.
Seeing her vigilance, Zhao Yunling covered her mouth and laughed. “Why are you staring at me like that, little sister? Are you afraid I’ll steal your boyfriend?”
Zuo Zhu replied sincerely, “You can try.”
She meant it with complete earnestness, but everyone else took her words as a challenge issued under threat.
Liu Minmin, standing behind them, was secretly delighted.
She hated seeing Zuo Zhu triumphant, and if Zhao Yunling’s presence could knock her down a peg, she would be thrilled.
Watching their reactions, Zuo Zhu dearly wished she could clarify that she genuinely wanted Zhao Yunling to try.
After all, Zhao Yunling could be considered the second member of the “harem” to appear in the comic.
When her character debuted, the comic had not yet completely declined, and there were still readers faithfully following updates. Those naive readers had regarded the original host, who was swallowed by the evil ghost, as merely low-level cannon fodder unworthy of the male lead’s interest.
Then Zhao Yunling appeared, a seductive widow whose husband had died young, and the remaining readers clamored for the male lead to take her.
The subsequent plot had delighted them at first. After Huo Fu displayed his skills as a ghost catcher, Zhao Yunling had taken the initiative, knocking on his door at night to seduce him.
And then, tragedy repeated itself. She, too, was devoured by the evil ghost.
Thus, Zuo Zhu sincerely hoped Zhao Yunling would give it a try, if only to divert the evil ghost’s nightly drooling attention from herself.
But no one except Huo Fu could possibly grasp her deeper meaning.
Zhao Yunling laughed so hard her shoulders trembled. “I was only joking.”
Whether she truly was joking remained uncertain.
After all, Huo Fu was exceptionally handsome, and few women could keep their eyes off him.
Second Uncle Li, walking behind, bumped her lightly. “Behave yourself!”
She shot him a coquettish glance and swayed away.
…
Afterward, Second Uncle Li led them through his own residence. When they finished, everyone gathered in the main hall.
Lin Yuran and Li Qing were still there. Soon Zhao Yunling and Second Uncle Li’s wife also arrived.
It could be said that the entire Li family had assembled.
Second Uncle Li could no longer hold back. “Master Huo, what exactly have you discovered? Are you still unwilling to say?”
All eyes turned to Huo Fu, waiting for his answer.
He did not disappoint. With a faintly amused smile, he said, “It’s nothing particularly remarkable. It’s just that someone among you has been raising an evil ghost to harm others.”
At those words, every member of the Li family present changed color.